Coffee Shop: Part 1

Artist mingle in numerous establishments and drink many beverages, but coffee shops and cafes prove to be prevalent hot spots for creative thinkers. Bars also serve a purpose for many artists, however, those artists die young.

I did not partake in the coffee shop experience until college and it was at a great local place called Beyond the Brim.  They served a great sandwich called a Reagan, named after their daughter.  This reuben style sandwich contained turkey, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on marble rye.  For dessert they always sold me on their Chai Latte, which they dubbed pumpkin pie in a cup.

The next two years I found great pleasure in my weekly trips inside Beyond the Brim.  But all good things must come to an end, and they did when I moved back to my hometown.  To my delight a wonderful couple from Louisiana, Lionel and Anne, had opened a coffee shop on the corner of Arch and Kentucky while I had been away at college. 

My then girlfriend, Amy, said we should walk the couple blocks from my house to Acoustic Coffee and Tea one afternoon while she was in town visiting.  Lionel greeted us with a big, hearty welcome and quickly introduced Amy to Meg Ryan's favorite drink, a Carmel Mocchiato.  

Our trips to visit Lionel became a ritual anytime Amy was in town.  One evening my parents joined us for coffee and biscotti.  

Amy and my mom entered first, then my dad, with me bringing up the rear.  Anne was working behind the counter while Lionel was sitting on the couch reading.  I plopped down next to Lionel to read while the rest conversed and ordered. Lionel asked if those nice, kind folks were my in-laws.  I said, "No, my parents."  Lionel was shocked.  He figured they were Amy's parents for sure because they treated her like a princess.  (My parents no longer consider me their only child). 

Amy eventually graduated college, moved to town, was hired to teach middle school English, said yes to my proposal and "I do" on a hill at sunset.

Early on in our marriage we spent many afternoons and nights hanging out with Lionel and Anne.  When our first child, Matthew, was born we could not afford to go as often, but we were still apart of the regular crowd.  Matthew "cut many teeth" inside Acoustic Coffee and Tea. 

Sadly we moved out of the neighborhood and our trips to see our coffee loving friends diminished.  With the arrival of Emma, our second child, our weekly gourmet coffee fund had disappeared. 

The economy apparently caused a lot of gourmet coffee funds to dry up because Lionel and Anne closed Acoustic Coffee and Tea and moved back to Louisiana. 

I am sad because they are gone, I am sad because Emma did not get to drink their hot chocolate, and I am sad because that unique atmosphere in my community is gone.